The premiere mixed martial arts event in the world is back in blistering Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center for UFC 43: Meltdown. In the main event, Light Heavyweight number-one contender Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell ba... more &raquottles two-time former UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy "The Natural" Couture for the Interim Light Heavyweight Championship. The undercard is stacked with such UFC stars as Tank Abbott, Kimo, Vitor Belfort, Frank Mir, Yves Edwards, and Ian Freeman.&laquo less

Movie Reviews

Well up there in mixed martial arts

Thomas Forrestal | 01/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Meltdown is without a doubt one of the best UFC tournaments in recent times. Whatever you do get the DVD coz the pre-lims are great and VHS doesn't show them. Strangley for UFC the first Pre-lim is Pedro Rizzo vs Tre Telligman. Thats one big first pre-lim! and it kicks of the night perfectly, Telligman is his usual agressive self, Rizzo looking as if he's just got up sporting a hangover doesn't hold back either. This fight really is a brawl between two very effective strikers. I won't spoil any fights by anoucing the winner but Rizzo's famous leg kicks come into play and bloody hell they look painful. We get to see the always enjoyable Yves Edwards practicing his ThugJitsu in an entertaining fight against eddie Ruiz, that man Edwards is just so Calm and collected. Marvin eastman hopes about like he's on speed againt Vitor Belfort in a match that ends with the worst cut i've seen in the UFC, it's proper nasty. If you don't know what happened in the Sims-Wir match then your seriously out of touch. A good bit of stomping ends this fight, naughty naughty (Stomping is illegal coz of the octagon). The shapely Vitale with his tanned body and good looks takes on the pasty, balding awkward but seemingly unbeatable Lindland. Lindland with his brilliant wrestling ability has beaten Baroni and miletich recently (if only he could punch like couture or Hughs!). Tank vs Leopoldo is the worst match by far. One thig worth mentioning is the odd heavily reliogious undertones this UFC has, with both Vitor and Kimo dedicated christians, Kimo is a minister and actually eneterd the Octagon in his UFC debut with an enormous cross on his back! But that's nothing compared with the extravagant weirdness of Chuck Lidell's entrance. What the hell was he thinking! Couture v Liddell is a good match but dominated by on of the fighters. Of course Couture has just moved down from the heavy weight division and Liddell is the interim light heavy weight champion since Tito refused to fight him. This DVD has got a really enjoyable mix of fights, my fave is the Rizzo-Telligman bout although the Lindland fight is truly hilarious. better than Sudden Impact and Onslaught, though if your willing to explore the past Worlds Collide was very enjoyable."

A great show all around

11/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"UFC has come a long way since UFC 1 the style and skills have gotten alot better. UFC 43 Meltdown is a great show between the Light Heavy weight Interm fight between "The Iceman" Chuck Liddell and Randy "The natural" Coutrue. This event also features the return of "The phenom" Vitor Belfort agiasnt marivn eastman.
Other fights on the card are
Frank Mir Vs Wes Sims
Kimo vs Tank Abbott
Vernon White vs Ian freeman
Yves Edawrds vs Eddie Ruiz
Falaniko Vitale vs Matt linland
Pedro Rizzo Vs Tra Tillgiman.Great show overall"

Part ONE of the trilogy

Matt | NJ | 03/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"MeltdownDate: June 6, 2003Location: Las Vegas

The night of fights begins with Pedro Rizzo taking on Tra Telligman. This fight is a slugfest and it must eventually be stopped by the doctor due to cuts.

In one of the stranger bouts I've seen in the UFC, Matt Lindland fights Falaniko Vitale. I don't want to spoil it for those who have not yet seen it, but put it this way: The fighter who loses essentially beats himself... This is indeed strange - and it leads to a rematch at a future UFC event.

Yves Edwards then fights Eddie Ruiz. Edwards is making a name for himself in the UFC at this point. He makes another strong case for his title contention in this bout. Pretty impressive.

Next, we see Frank Mir square off against Wes Sims. Sims is a giant... and he's also an idiot. Mir is dominant, until he commits to an armbar. Things go badly from there, as Sims doesn't keep the rules in mind as he tries to turn the tide of the fight. Mir is impressive and one of the most effective submission fighters I've seen in the UFC. His future looks quite bright. Sims, on the other hand, is a bit too exciteable and needs to learn to harness his energy better.

Vernon "Tiger" White makes his UFC debut against veteran Ian Freeman. White is no rookie, though. He is a seasoned fighter and it is apparent in this fight, as he battles to a draw against a great fighter.

Vitor Belfort then faces Marvin Eastman. This one ends quickly... It ends violently, with a huge knee and some solid follow-up punches. The result of this quick flurry is one of the most horribly gruesome cuts I've seen in mixed martial arts competition.

UFC legends Tank Abbott and Kimo also go at it on this night. The fight isn't all that exciting, though. It doesn't stay on the feet long, which usually spells trouble for Tank.

In the main event of the evening, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell challenges Randy "The Natural" Couture for the light heavyweight title. Liddell is riding a lightning bolt of momentum coming into this fight. People know that he, more than any other UFC fighter, can end a fight quickly with a single strike. People also know, however, that Randy Couture is an inspirational athlete with outstanding skills. On this night, we see a truly legendary fight between two of the finest fighters to ever enter the octagon. Amazing... This is a must-own for a fan of the UFC.

As usual, the DVD includes some great behind-the-scenes bonus footage.

"

One of the best.

The Wickerman | Austin, TX | 09/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"UFC 43 is, in my opinion, one of the best UFC's to date. Usually, there'll be at least one or so fights that aren't worth watching, but here, every fight is great. Vernon White vs. Ian Freeman, Tra Telligman vs. Pedro Rizzo, and of course the main event Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell, are all huge, epic battles. The "David and Goliath" matchup of Frank Mir and the 6'10" Wes Sims is exciting as well. There are some short fights here, such as Kimo Leopoldo quickly submitting Tank Abbott, and the amazingly quick-handed Vitor Belfort destroying Marvin Eastman with his lightning-fast punches. Still good fights though, because for one thing, Tank Abbott is such a braggart, and it's always gratifying to see him get owned by superior fighters, and second, Belfort is just awesome.

Anyway, back to the main event. Randy Couture was an underdog for this fight, as Liddell was thought to be a much better kickboxer, and with his good takedown defense, Couture's wrestling background would put him at a disadvantage. However, Couture shocked all by dominating throughout all 3 rounds, even outclassing Liddell in the striking department. That, combined with the fact that he was pushing 40 at the time made for a hell of a surprising and impressive victory.

Oh, and in regards to the 1-star reviews below from Pride FC fans: while I agree with you that Pride has surpassed the UFC, and has better fighters overall, the fact remains that the UFC started it all, and regardless of which one you prefer, you have to give them credit. And no skill? Come on! How anyone could watch fighters like Belfort and Couture, and honestly say they have no skill is definitely beyond me.

Anyway, this was a great event, and highly recommended to all UFC fans."